DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
Deckies are going to be Deckies.
There's been a decline in their vocal verocity since the Ally has become available.
Steam Deck is great, I just prefer this for my needs.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
ASUS ROG ALLY | OT + Review Thread | Steam Deck but ROGher
Steam Deck is great, I just prefer this for my needs.
jshackles
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
The newest version of the Steam client uses the Steam Deck interface as it's "big picture mode". You could install and launch that, then set it to auto-launch with Windows and auto-launch into big picture mode, for a very Steam Deck-like experience.
If you mean Steam Deck OS itself, the closest you can get is this:
GitHub - holoiso-eol/holoiso: SteamOS 3 (Holo) archiso configuration
SteamOS 3 (Holo) archiso configuration. Contribute to holoiso-eol/holoiso development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
It's extremely hacky, but I suspect compatibility will improve with the Ally as time goes on.
Last edited:
Mr Hyde
Member
Spent the better part of my day updating and getting the Ally up to snuff. Wow, very long process. Updating all drivers, firmware, downloading apps, removing Microsofts bloatware etc. But now I´m almost there. And it works like a charm. It was a bit buggy at first but now I updated everything, it´s much smoother. The XG Mobile also had to update firmware, both in the armory crate and from MyAsus page.
I haven´t tried any games yet but hooking it up to my tv wasn´t an issue at all. I also thought that the screen would be compromised and a lot smaller, but it works great. In fact, I write this on my keboard on my 55 inch QLED. This is the first time I use internet on my tv, or outside my phone or computer.
One thing I was disappointed in was the remote play on PS5. It was the first thing I did, download the app och connect my PS5. But the app couldn´t detect the controllers on the Ally. Then I downloaded Chiaki, an open software that works with controller, but the streaming was so poor that I didn´t play for more than a couple of minutes. I hope Sony patches the app so it can recognize other controllers than Dualsense.
I haven´t tried any games yet but hooking it up to my tv wasn´t an issue at all. I also thought that the screen would be compromised and a lot smaller, but it works great. In fact, I write this on my keboard on my 55 inch QLED. This is the first time I use internet on my tv, or outside my phone or computer.
One thing I was disappointed in was the remote play on PS5. It was the first thing I did, download the app och connect my PS5. But the app couldn´t detect the controllers on the Ally. Then I downloaded Chiaki, an open software that works with controller, but the streaming was so poor that I didn´t play for more than a couple of minutes. I hope Sony patches the app so it can recognize other controllers than Dualsense.
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
This is how it looks docked. The cables are a bit annoying but can't get it any other way. The 8bit do ultimate works for both PC and Switch. Best controller ever and it's going to be used a lot.
Desktop screen. Still holding out for that Bloodborne port.
Man, you are making me want to pick up this XG gpu lol
RagnarokIV
Battlebus imprisoning me \m/ >.< \m/
Thing is powerful enough to run metal Gear Online (probably one of the top 3 most demanding PS3 emulation tasks)
Hayabusa83
Banned
Dude, please provide us with comprehensive review of the mobile GPU.
Finally, my ROG Ally has arrived. Transformed my little reading corner into my little PC corner. Got the XG Mobile for the docked experience. Going to get it up and running in the weekend.
In total, I've spent close to 2.5 k on this thing, which is the most I've ever spent on a video game device. So right now I have massive buyers remorse but I reckon it will fade the more time I spend with the Ally.
I'm taking a major leap of faith here. I'm new to PC, only dabbled with it before but I'm a console player since 5 generations back. It's possible that I might have a terrible experience but I've been researching a lot on this, so I have faith that the Ally is something I'm going to enjoy. I've been wanting to get into PC gaming for quite sometimes now, and I feel this is the perfect opportunity for me. I love hybrid gaming setups ever since I purchased the Switch, and now I have a much more powerful and versatile device. Another reason why I'm comfortable spending this much money is because I trust Asus. They have a strong presence here in my country and it will be easier for me to get in touch with them if something goes wrong. I know they get a lot of shit but I've never had any issues with them. Knock on wood.
Anyway, it's going to be a fun weekend. I hope you all enjoy your Ally's. I'm going go be using this thread to chronicle my new journey into PC land.
Mr Hyde
Member
It's awesome. But it's not as convenient as the Switch, in that you can just switch on and off between handheld and docked. You need to activate it and deactivate it everytime, plus you need close all apps and stuff that uses gpu. It only takes 10 seconds so it's pretty fast, but still, it's a bit tinkering. But I reckon the more you do it, the more convenient it becomes. It's just that you are so used to pick up the Switch and then it works.
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
Oh yeah, I'm a heavy PC user so I imagine it will need some tinkering. Worth it for the performance bump though. You've basically got a pc that's faster than both the series x and ps5 now!
Mental.
THE DUCK
voted poster of the decade by bots
One thing to keep in mind, on a 7" screen you really can't see as big of a difference between low and high.....depending on the game of course. And yes emulation is glorious.
Mr Hyde
Member
Yeah, it's crazy, especially since it's so small compared to a PS5, which looks like a skyscraper in comparison
It's going to be glorious to run Starfield with this thing. And Cyberpunk 2077 now that Phantom Liberty drops. Those games will be the real test what this setup can do.
Mr Hyde
Member
Been testing my setup nearly all day. I don't really have any next gen games on PC. My laptop, which I played some games on before buying the Ally, was very modest, so I only tried out some lightweighters. And now, when I blew 2.5k on this, I'm strapped for cash when it comes to gaming purchases. Going to be leeching off Game Pass for a while now.
Anyway, Sunset Overdrive is probably the most taxing game I have for now and it was no issue playing it at 1440p with a rock solid 60 fps. I tried to blow up every monster and get as much stuff happening on the screen as I could and still no frame drops. A beautiful game otherwise, with a very vibrant look, with colors that really pop at that higher resolution. Really fun to play too.
The Ally was pretty cool and quiet but the XG Mobile blew out some hot air and the fans go crazy sometimes so play with headphones if you're easily distracted.
One thing that I discovered that annoys me to no end is that the aura rgb lights around the sticks, are flashing when the system is in sleep mode, despite me turning them off (The XG Mobile also flashes in tandem with lights, so it's disco time here on the nights). Pretty distracting if I play on my PS5 or watching a movie in the dark. I don't know how I will get it to stop but if any of you know, please let me know.
Anyway, Sunset Overdrive is probably the most taxing game I have for now and it was no issue playing it at 1440p with a rock solid 60 fps. I tried to blow up every monster and get as much stuff happening on the screen as I could and still no frame drops. A beautiful game otherwise, with a very vibrant look, with colors that really pop at that higher resolution. Really fun to play too.
The Ally was pretty cool and quiet but the XG Mobile blew out some hot air and the fans go crazy sometimes so play with headphones if you're easily distracted.
One thing that I discovered that annoys me to no end is that the aura rgb lights around the sticks, are flashing when the system is in sleep mode, despite me turning them off (The XG Mobile also flashes in tandem with lights, so it's disco time here on the nights). Pretty distracting if I play on my PS5 or watching a movie in the dark. I don't know how I will get it to stop but if any of you know, please let me know.
Last edited:
Guileless
Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
I'm in the same boat, just had a lightweight laptop to play some strategy games and FM. Not sure what I should buy to push it. Modern Warfare 2 maybe?
GHG
Member
Last edited:
Sleepwalker
Member
grfunkulus
Banned
Old news. We know (and by we, I mean someone who impulse bought and has been reading for 3 days, so just giving you a hard time). In all seriousness, either the community will fix or Asus will give a halfway solution. Guess is they had to do a generous deadzone due to using Alps sticks vs Hall Sensor to avoid RMAs out the wazoo. Xbox series controller are notorious for it. Imagine that in a $700 device where people are much more critical. Their manufacturing tolerances, in order to get this thing out the door at this price this quickly, probably were wide. And then they likely overshot and were overly cautious.
The revolutionary part of this device is the screen. 120hz and VRR are insane in an age where the majority of console gamers still haven't experienced either. The performance uplift over 6800u devices, while FINE is nothing to write home about. At this point, the Steam deck fans just look like ironic hipsters trying to hold on to what they think makes their stubbornly outdated take on the future of mobile gaming cool.
Software, unfortunately, cannot make up for far inferior hardware (with the exception of those great analogs). Windows on the Ally at 120fps with Asus's tweaks almost means I forget the reason steam os was haralded the way it was. And the third party options will only get better if you're insistent on it, for whatever reason.
I fear the casuals won't all come over which is tragic. They don't know what theyre missing. Side by side kiosks in best buys playing last gen-ish games at 60-120fps with the gorgeous smoothness of the ROG display vs the garbage washed about mess of vsynced 40 or 60 on the deck would make heads turn
Last edited:
Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
The revolutionary part of this device is the screen. 120hz and VRR are insane in an age where the majority of console gamers still haven't experienced either. The performance uplift over 6800u devices, while FINE is nothing to write home about. At this point, the Steam deck fans just look like ironic hipsters trying to hold on to what they think makes their stubbornly outdated take on the future of mobile gaming cool.
Are you for real?
Last edited:
grfunkulus
Banned
I mean, you're basically confirming my point. People in the SD community, ver batim, will say performance metrics and high refresh don't matter as long as the experience is "satisfactory" (for a handheld). If that is your attitude, I cant really help you see why you're part of the same cult that insists 30fps is great for the future of gaming. Shit, Sd'ers don't even have the benefit of insisting it's for graphical fidelity and pushing larger experiences. Even the $400 option isn't a good value anymore. You can get a sub $600 ROG Ally from best buy (open box excellent plus 5% back). Or you could've gotten one new for $630 with a code for a while. It's sour grapes to pretend you chose 'right' with the 256gb SD or, god forbid, the cash grab 512g model.The revolutionary part of this device is the screen. 120hz and VRR are insane in an age where the majority of console gamers still haven't experienced either. The performance uplift over 6800u devices, while FINE is nothing to write home about. At this point, the Steam deck fans just look like ironic hipsters trying to hold on to what they think makes their stubbornly outdated take on the future of mobile gaming cool.
Are you for real?
Plus, if the XG mobile is appealing to you, and it definitely could be if you don't have a high end desktop, the value proposition there is an added bonus that no other platforms offer
Last edited:
Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
120 hz
And 1080p is a fucking waste on a handheld device…
This is just to lure in people that look at stats and don’t understand what negative impact it has. I have seen people asking for a 4k screen
. Native 800p is better to run games at native res instead of upscaling.When you're running at 720p on a 1080p monitor, the image has to be upscaled which leads to degradation in quality and the degradation can be clearly seen on the screen compared to 1080p on the same monitor. A 720p resolution on a 720p monitor however won't look as bad because there's no upscaling happening and the images/videos would be utilising each and every pixel optimally.
Battery life is a thing.
Somehow people refuse to understand that we are behind in battery technology.
The switch lite is a great example how you make a handheld with great battery life.
It runs much much longer then the deck and rog.
Nintendo proves that software is king on handheld devices.
Steam deck is the first to make pc gaming actually more mainstream for most people. As the steam deck is piss easy.
Yes not all games work but a lot get adjusted, and the community controller layouts are a godsend for most users.
Rog is lightyears behind steamdeck atm.
They focus on a really small subgroup of people like the GPD win did.
Their trackrecord in laptops support is absolutely horrible, and they have a lot to prove.
Steam is a software company.
They make money from the steam store.
And the bigger their hardware base is the more they earn.
Asus sells hardware. They make more money selling new hardware. Good luck with long life support.
I guess asus fanboys are even more delusional then the google stadia one’s
Last edited:
Sleepwalker
Member
Pc handheld wars werent in my bingo card for 2023 yet here we are...
Last edited:
FingerBang
Member
120 hz and 1080p is a fucking waste on a handheld device120 hz
And 1080p is a fucking waste on a handheld device…
This is just to lure in people that look at stats and don’t understand what negative impact it has. I have seen people asking for a 4k screen
When you're running at 720p on a 1080p monitor, the image has to be upscaled which leads to degradation in quality and the degradation can be clearly seen on the screen compared to 1080p on the same monitor. A 720p resolution on a 720p monitor however won't look as bad because there's no upscaling happening and the images/videos would be utilising each and every pixel optimally.
Battery life is a thing.
Somehow people refuse to understand that we are behind in battery technology.
The switch lite is a great example how you make a handheld with great battery life.
It runs much much longer then the deck and rog.
Nintendo proves that software is king on handheld devices.
Steam deck is the first to make pc gaming actually more mainstream for most people. As the steam deck is piss easy.
Yes not all games work but a lot get adjusted, and the community controller layouts are a godsend for most users.
Rog is lightyears behind steamdeck atm.
They focus on a really small subgroup of people like the GPD win did.
Their trackrecord in laptops support is absolutely horrible, and they have a lot to prove.
Steam is a software company.
They make money from the steam store.
And the bigger their hardware base is the more they earn.
Asus sells hardware. They make more money selling new hardware. Good luck with long life support.
I guess asus fanboys are even more delusional then the google stadia one’s
Not true, it makes a big difference and you can play many less demanding games at 1080p and 120hz
When you're running at 720p on a 1080p monitor, the image has to be upscaled which leads to degradation
Yes, ON A BIG FUCKING MONITOR. It's absolutely not that bad on a smaller screen
The switch lite is a great example how you make a handheld with great battery life
By making it underpowered and putting in 10 year old tech? Good fucking luck running PC games on that
You can improve battery life by reducing screen res, refresh rate and TPU. You have the option, as well as cranking things up and play it full power. You can't do it on a Steam Deck/Switch.
Rog is lightyears behind steamdeck atm
Sorry, how long have you had yours? How many hours have you spent on it? What exactly is lightyears behind?
Mr Hyde
Member
I think it's sad to see this whole Steam Deck vs ROG Ally beef that's been happening recently. I thought PC gamers were above that shit. I've seen it on YouTube as well, with clickbait videos like "Is ROG Ally the Steam Deck killer?" or "Steam Deck is still the far superior choice!" Videos that comes from butthurt fanboys stoking the flames for clicks and clout.
From my perspective it's two very capable devices that basically does the same shit, but instead of talking about how revolutionary they are for handheld gaming, we resort to petty bickering on online forums and comment sections. I guess for some gamers, warring lies deeply embedded within their DNA. It's inevitable, as the great Thanos once said.
From my perspective it's two very capable devices that basically does the same shit, but instead of talking about how revolutionary they are for handheld gaming, we resort to petty bickering on online forums and comment sections. I guess for some gamers, warring lies deeply embedded within their DNA. It's inevitable, as the great Thanos once said.
M1chl
Currently Gif and Meme Champion
Its mostly Linux vs Windows, which always had the worst warriors and to lesser extend Valve vs Rest. It isn't PC vs PC.
Tams
Member
Nintendo are just holding back their A-bomb as their conventional weaponry and ammunition are slaughtering as it is.
Tams
Member
I can't help but notice that much of it is one way though, hence why I've taken to calling them 'Deckies'.
It was already happening with the PC handhelds already out there, but as they aren't mass market, there was little fight back over it.
Not that any of this shit matters. Does it, whatever it is, play games the way you want it to? Well, good then.
Except smartphone gamers. Fuck them.
Davevil
Late October Surprise
I disagree: best time in videogame was Snes vs Megadrive.era.
we need rude competition
Last edited:
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
120 hz
And 1080p is a fucking waste on a handheld device…
This is just to lure in people that look at stats and don’t understand what negative impact it has. I have seen people asking for a 4k screen
When you're running at 720p on a 1080p monitor, the image has to be upscaled which leads to degradation in quality and the degradation can be clearly seen on the screen compared to 1080p on the same monitor. A 720p resolution on a 720p monitor however won't look as bad because there's no upscaling happening and the images/videos would be utilising each and every pixel optimally.
Battery life is a thing.
Somehow people refuse to understand that we are behind in battery technology.
The switch lite is a great example how you make a handheld with great battery life.
It runs much much longer then the deck and rog.
Nintendo proves that software is king on handheld devices.
Steam deck is the first to make pc gaming actually more mainstream for most people. As the steam deck is piss easy.
Yes not all games work but a lot get adjusted, and the community controller layouts are a godsend for most users.
Rog is lightyears behind steamdeck atm.
They focus on a really small subgroup of people like the GPD win did.
Their trackrecord in laptops support is absolutely horrible, and they have a lot to prove.
Steam is a software company.
They make money from the steam store.
And the bigger their hardware base is the more they earn.
Asus sells hardware. They make more money selling new hardware. Good luck with long life support.
I guess asus fanboys are even more delusional then the google stadia one’s
I'm not reading all that but I'm playing North of 80fps on diablo IV with vrr and the quality of the ips display pisses all over the deck.
The fact I can just jump from forza horizon 5 to diablo, to street fighter 6.
The ally is a beast. Shame about the sticks but I'm doing fine with it to be honest.
Last edited:
Tal Shiar Agent
Member
This thing seems a little underbaked. Hopefully we see a revision before long that fixes these niggling issues.
FingerBang
Member
It obviously is. They sound like a bunch of pissed off fanboys who can't stand the fact their toy isn't getting all the headlines anymore.
The Steam Deck is a great machine, but it has huge limitations when it comes to modern triple A games and playing non-steam games requires jumping through so many fucking hoops and I'm tired of that.
Power-wise, it works great and the battery is not an issue for me because I rarely have sessions longer than one or two hours.
Last edited:
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
Tal Shiar Agent
Member
Mainly the sticks. They should really be hall effect at this point.
Not too fond of the bloat and privacy issues that comes with Windows 11 either.
OverHeat
« generous god »
If your only using it for games who cares about privacy lol
Mr Hyde
Member
I made the decision early on to just use my ROG Ally for gaming and some light streaming aka Netflix and YouTube, much like the Switch. I've deleted all the apps and bloat that I won't be using and I don't use any antivirus protection other than built in Windows Defender, as to not bog down the system. I will not download anything other than games for the ROG, all on certified storefronts. If I have to download software, games, movies, music, apps or programs I use my main computer, and when they are scanned and safe, I then transfer it over to my Ally via USB, if I have the need for it.
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
Completely agree. Both are amazing for their own reasons. I owned both and respect the deck but the ally is my daily now and I've sold my deck on but I don't have anything negative to say about it.
Last edited:
Topher
Identifies as young
Which is a bit nuts considering these are still open platforms. ROG Ally can run Linux and Steam Deck can run Windows. Seems silly to try and turn this into a console war-ish rivalry.
grfunkulus
Banned
You're a moron for comparing stadia, an objectively inferior experience to basically everything else out there, to the ally, and objectively superior experience to every handheld that came before it. You can't fix stupid I guess120 hz
And 1080p is a fucking waste on a handheld device…
This is just to lure in people that look at stats and don’t understand what negative impact it has. I have seen people asking for a 4k screen
When you're running at 720p on a 1080p monitor, the image has to be upscaled which leads to degradation in quality and the degradation can be clearly seen on the screen compared to 1080p on the same monitor. A 720p resolution on a 720p monitor however won't look as bad because there's no upscaling happening and the images/videos would be utilising each and every pixel optimally.
Battery life is a thing.
Somehow people refuse to understand that we are behind in battery technology.
The switch lite is a great example how you make a handheld with great battery life.
It runs much much longer then the deck and rog.
Nintendo proves that software is king on handheld devices.
Steam deck is the first to make pc gaming actually more mainstream for most people. As the steam deck is piss easy.
Yes not all games work but a lot get adjusted, and the community controller layouts are a godsend for most users.
Rog is lightyears behind steamdeck atm.
They focus on a really small subgroup of people like the GPD win did.
Their trackrecord in laptops support is absolutely horrible, and they have a lot to prove.
Steam is a software company.
They make money from the steam store.
And the bigger their hardware base is the more they earn.
Asus sells hardware. They make more money selling new hardware. Good luck with long life support.
I guess asus fanboys are even more delusional then the google stadia one’s
Mr Hyde
Member
The download speed on GoG is atrocious. I'm pulling 1-3 mb/s and I have super fast internet connection. Installing from Steam has been no issues but here it's painfully slow. The game is on 18 gigs and it's taken roughly 3 hours to get to 50%.
Am I doing something wrong or is there a fix? I've tried checking off unlimited bandwidth, and then I put a 1000 mb/s limit but it's still snail's pace. Such a shame because GoG is awesome in all other aspects.
Am I doing something wrong or is there a fix? I've tried checking off unlimited bandwidth, and then I put a 1000 mb/s limit but it's still snail's pace. Such a shame because GoG is awesome in all other aspects.
Mr Hyde
Member
Played The Surge today. It's one of those games I always wanted portable, because I genuinely think it's great so the option to always have it around me has been enticing. And it looks great on the screen. It does play well too, but there are some occasional stutter and the frames are wildly inconsistent. Often it's not noticeable but since I can see the frames it becomes more apparent. Thinking about turning that info off. Ignorance is bliss and all that.
The FPS limiter on the Ally is a bit wonky. Sometimes it works, and I manage to lock the framerate to a solid 30 or 60, but sometimes it doesn't work, and then it fluctuates between 30 and 60. It's a bit annoying. In Sunset Overdrive I had no issues locking the framerate but maybe it differs from game to game.
The battery lasted for 96 minutes for me @ 720p so not that great. But it's not a deal breaker for me, since A) I'm usually good for 2 hours on a handheld session and B) it only takes roughly 90 minutes to charge it back up (whereas the Switch for example takes up to 3 hours) and C) it's demanding games. Just the notion to play something like Surge and Sunset Overdrive on a handheld is mind-blowing to me, let alone all the games I'm intending to play. That's one of my favorite things so far with PC and the Ally. The vast library of games you can play.
The FPS limiter on the Ally is a bit wonky. Sometimes it works, and I manage to lock the framerate to a solid 30 or 60, but sometimes it doesn't work, and then it fluctuates between 30 and 60. It's a bit annoying. In Sunset Overdrive I had no issues locking the framerate but maybe it differs from game to game.
The battery lasted for 96 minutes for me @ 720p so not that great. But it's not a deal breaker for me, since A) I'm usually good for 2 hours on a handheld session and B) it only takes roughly 90 minutes to charge it back up (whereas the Switch for example takes up to 3 hours) and C) it's demanding games. Just the notion to play something like Surge and Sunset Overdrive on a handheld is mind-blowing to me, let alone all the games I'm intending to play. That's one of my favorite things so far with PC and the Ally. The vast library of games you can play.
Gamezone
Gold Member
120 hz
And 1080p is a fucking waste on a handheld device…
This is just to lure in people that look at stats and don’t understand what negative impact it has. I have seen people asking for a 4k screen
When you're running at 720p on a 1080p monitor, the image has to be upscaled which leads to degradation in quality and the degradation can be clearly seen on the screen compared to 1080p on the same monitor. A 720p resolution on a 720p monitor however won't look as bad because there's no upscaling happening and the images/videos would be utilising each and every pixel optimally.
Battery life is a thing.
Somehow people refuse to understand that we are behind in battery technology.
The switch lite is a great example how you make a handheld with great battery life.
It runs much much longer then the deck and rog.
Nintendo proves that software is king on handheld devices.
Steam deck is the first to make pc gaming actually more mainstream for most people. As the steam deck is piss easy.
Yes not all games work but a lot get adjusted, and the community controller layouts are a godsend for most users.
Rog is lightyears behind steamdeck atm.
They focus on a really small subgroup of people like the GPD win did.
Their trackrecord in laptops support is absolutely horrible, and they have a lot to prove.
Steam is a software company.
They make money from the steam store.
And the bigger their hardware base is the more they earn.
Asus sells hardware. They make more money selling new hardware. Good luck with long life support.
I guess asus fanboys are even more delusional then the google stadia one’s
You can use RSR in basically any game in order to upscale 720p to 1080p for as close to a native look as possible. Other than that games with FSR can run at 1080p without the loss of FPS or graphics downgrade. And as already mentioned, 120hz do work in many games, but it's completely optional. The screen also looks better and has VRR support.
Have you seen the amount of projects that has been abandoned by Valve?
Last edited:
ToTTenTranz
Banned
The console is excellent especially if we compare it to the first months of the Steam Deck.
The first thing I did when I got mine was to change to a 2TB NVMe. The second thing I did was install a total o 1200GB worth of games from Steam, GamePass and EA App.
I spent the weekend playing Plague Tale Requiem from GamePass, and afterward I'm probably picking up Fenyx Rising. It's this "democracy" of videogame sources that the Steam Deck is sorely missing, not to mention the difference in performance when plugged at the wall.
One thing to notice is how the firmware is really bad, though. That's one thing the Deck nailed on release but Asus and AMD seem to be struggling a lot.
Performance of the Z1 Extreme on sub-15W TDP is terrible but that was supposedly the one thing AMD had changed over the Ryzen 7840U to make it better. Yet what we're seeing is the Z1 Extreme showing much worse performance than the 7840U at 9-10W which is quite the letdown.
Another important point is how bad the dynamic VRAM allocation is working. I used to have only 4GB allocated as VRAM, but after reading a couple of comments on the Ally's reddit sub I tried upping it to 8GB and saw my performance on Plague Tale Requiem go up from ~25-35FPS to 35-45FPS at similar settings and this is huge.
I wasn't able to quash low performance and massive frame spikes until I put 8GB reserved for VRAM, which means Windows probably doesn't know how to give more RAM to the GPU nstead of other clients. I'm guessing SteamOS is doing a better job at that.
In this regard, I'd feel more comfortable if I had more RAM all together. Had Asus equipped the handheld with 24GB or 32GB LPDDR5 they would have bypassed this problem by simply setting 8GB to the GPU from the start.
Though since it's a software issue they should be able to solve it rather quickly.
The first thing I did when I got mine was to change to a 2TB NVMe. The second thing I did was install a total o 1200GB worth of games from Steam, GamePass and EA App.
I spent the weekend playing Plague Tale Requiem from GamePass, and afterward I'm probably picking up Fenyx Rising. It's this "democracy" of videogame sources that the Steam Deck is sorely missing, not to mention the difference in performance when plugged at the wall.
One thing to notice is how the firmware is really bad, though. That's one thing the Deck nailed on release but Asus and AMD seem to be struggling a lot.
Performance of the Z1 Extreme on sub-15W TDP is terrible but that was supposedly the one thing AMD had changed over the Ryzen 7840U to make it better. Yet what we're seeing is the Z1 Extreme showing much worse performance than the 7840U at 9-10W which is quite the letdown.
Another important point is how bad the dynamic VRAM allocation is working. I used to have only 4GB allocated as VRAM, but after reading a couple of comments on the Ally's reddit sub I tried upping it to 8GB and saw my performance on Plague Tale Requiem go up from ~25-35FPS to 35-45FPS at similar settings and this is huge.
I wasn't able to quash low performance and massive frame spikes until I put 8GB reserved for VRAM, which means Windows probably doesn't know how to give more RAM to the GPU nstead of other clients. I'm guessing SteamOS is doing a better job at that.
In this regard, I'd feel more comfortable if I had more RAM all together. Had Asus equipped the handheld with 24GB or 32GB LPDDR5 they would have bypassed this problem by simply setting 8GB to the GPU from the start.
The sticks would behave like this regardless of the technology being used, because it's a software problem. Running the diagnostics on Steam shows very high sensibility and precision on the sticks.
Though since it's a software issue they should be able to solve it rather quickly.
fran.fernandez
Member
I bought it to be my main “Xbox” window device for game, I gonna send it back this week for refund. Portable is awesome, hook it to a monitor or a tv, eye cancer . Everything look cell shaded low with artifacts acuarela painting. Not even close to an old cheap laptop. But again, portable small 720 p low medium settings ok.
Switch was ok coz if I want to play Zelda , well I need the switch (got a job no ilegal for years lol)
Now I can pay less and get an Xbox , proper play the game on tv and stream it to other device for portable.
If I start traveling more I will reconsider it.
Switch was ok coz if I want to play Zelda , well I need the switch (got a job no ilegal for years lol)
Now I can pay less and get an Xbox , proper play the game on tv and stream it to other device for portable.
If I start traveling more I will reconsider it.
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
Man, i have completely fallen in love with this thing!
I can't get over how good it is. My only flaw is the battery, my 65 watt power bank does wonders but I wish the standard battery was a little larger.
Apart from that, its running every single game im throwing at it at 60FPS. so much diablo in bed.
I found my dream Xbox portable....and Steam...and Epic..and GOG...SOny need to get on PC more ASAP and im set lol.
I can't get over how good it is. My only flaw is the battery, my 65 watt power bank does wonders but I wish the standard battery was a little larger.
Apart from that, its running every single game im throwing at it at 60FPS. so much diablo in bed.
I found my dream Xbox portable....and Steam...and Epic..and GOG...SOny need to get on PC more ASAP and im set lol.
Mr Hyde
Member
It's annoying that the fps limiter doesn't seem to work. I'm playing Tomb Raider Anniversary and the fps is cranked up to 3-400 fps, which seems excessive. I've gotten the limiter to work sometimes but most often it just seems broken. In some PC games you can cap the framerate in options, and it works much better, but all games doesn't have that feature, which is odd because I thought all games on PC would let you customize all the different settings.
How did you increase the VRAM allocation?
Thats what the site says, but GPU Settings is completely missing from Armory Crate. Im pretty sure I have the latest updates, so I have no idea whats going on.
I believe you can cap it in the AMD Adrenaline settings. The framerate limiter has worked for me which is nice because its actually essential especially in older games. If you're getting framerates in the upper hundreds than you're forcing the CPU/GPU to work extra hard which is actually going to drain your battery life quicker.
ToTTenTranz
Banned
You need to use the right-hand Armory Crate menu (right-hand custom button, below the "start" button), head for configurations and in the same menu where you set joystick deadzone etc. you can also set the VRAM allocation.
It will ask for a restart and set your available system RAM to 8GB, and VRAM to 8GB.
8GB is on the low side for system RAM, though. I wish Asus had 6GB as an option because it could suffice. Or just have the dynamic allocation to work properly, of course.
Last edited: